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TAG WITH @balder

POSTED ON May 11, 2021 3:57:26 GMT

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Alexei Ivanov

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It had been some time since he had applied to do this gym challenge, and multiple adventures had come since then. Now that the day had come, Balder had been contacted by the Gym Leader about this new trial he had to partake in. Yet... The content of the challenge wasn't what he expected.[break][break]

He was told to bring two flying type of his choice, and to be prepared for what's to come by waiting at the rendez-vous point just outside of Fortree. Wearing black jeans and a tank top, the man was gently tossing one of the pokeballs in the air and catching it repeatedly. The pokeball was black, with gold runic engravings decorating it. What could be encased in it, to deserve such a tool?[break][break]

Now, how long would the Gym Leader take? 5 minutes were left before the agreed meeting time, and Balder was curious on what he should be expecting out of all of this.

[attr="class","queencred"]Nano

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Ven

Alex / Lexy

he / him / his

thirty

december 22

Mistralton, Unova

homosexual demiromantic

fortree gym leader

gym leader

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TAG WITH @alexei

POSTED ON May 11, 2021 7:51:53 GMT

It was finally time for Alexei to meet Balder in uncontested combat—wait, combat?

Maybe not ‘Mortal Kombat’ as most would expect; although—he did find one detail really strange.

What was up with the other man requesting that they meet at the edge of the city’s borders? Normally all of the challenges took place within the Sanctuary’s borders, but this was something that was—

As long as it was still within the city’s borders.

His guess was as good as any.

“What’s up with that Pokéball? Specially customized?” he began once he spotted the other and attempted to get his attention. “You still need a rundown of which non-traditional options are available, or are we good to go?”

Asking the Sanctuary staff to move all the Pokémon that were involved for the weather-related shenanigans for one of his non-traditional options was a massive feat in and on itself, and so he wondered if they were already done transporting what needed to be moved.

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Balder

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February 12

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TAG WITH @balder

POSTED ON May 19, 2021 5:12:08 GMT

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Alexei Ivanov

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"Homemade actually. You'll understand soon enough." said the alolan in reply to the Gym Leader's query. Stopping to the ball in the air, Balder proceeded to stand properly as he looked at Alexei. The vodka-drinking man proceeded to ask if the challenger needed a reminder of the Non-traditionnal options for the challenge.[break][break]

"No need, I'm going with the blindfolded course. So yeah, I guess we're good to go. Unless you needed to explain something related to the challenge?" While he had already decided which challenge he was about to undertake, it was possible that the gym leader wanted to add more information regarding the trial.[break][break]

Still... The question now was how will he react once he sees one of the creatures that Balder brought to this challenge? Some people would disagree with his actions, but it was a necessary step in moving the nation forward, and to avoid any future issues.

[attr="class","queencred"]Nano

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Ven

Alex / Lexy

he / him / his

thirty

december 22

Mistralton, Unova

homosexual demiromantic

fortree gym leader

gym leader

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POSTED ON May 24, 2021 6:38:53 GMT

Looked like someone was eager to get started, hm?

The crackling in his ear cut off his train of thought. “One sec,” he said to Balder before turning around and tapping the earpiece.

“Alright, thanks. Sorry if it was so sudden,” he said before turning back to face the other.

“There’s a second option, however I’m very interested to see what you’re bringing to the plate,” Alexei said as he tossed a pair of aviator goggles to Balder.

“You’re going to need the goggles,” he added a few moments later.

Once he’d brought out the blindfold, he then tossed it to Balder as well. “There, whatever you’re bringing out, blindfold them,” he said, before a Charizard this time came soaring down from the sky as he snapped down his own goggles down over his eyes and proceeded to blindfold Ravana, who stood there waiting for him to get ready.

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Balder

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February 12

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Pan?

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TAG WITH @balder

POSTED ON Jun 8, 2021 2:30:30 GMT

[nospaces]

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Alexei Ivanov

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As the man took the goggles, he couldn't help but inspect them and have a small smirk at the corner of his mouth. "I hope you got an aviator coat that pairs well with it and suits my size, otherwise we would be losing points for style." But then he proceeded to equip the glasses, keeping them against his forehead for now.[break][break]

The blindfold followed soon after. The moment of truth now, it seems. "Might want to step back in that case." Waiting for the gym leader to take a step back, balder brought the runic pokeball to his eye level. "Just like we practiced now. Let's go, Stella." A simple click sound ensued as he pressed the release, before he threw the pokeball high in the air.[break][break]

A flash of light occurred, but was quickly obscure by a shadow shape that landed heavily beside the two, making the ground shake and crack under its weight. The Celesteela stood up at it's full 40 feet height, looking around and wondering why they got called out here. "Surprise Alexei. Here's your biggest contestant."

[attr="class","queencred"]Nano

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Ven

Alex / Lexy

he / him / his

thirty

december 22

Mistralton, Unova

homosexual demiromantic

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POSTED ON Jun 11, 2021 8:22:55 GMT

Step back?

What was he—

The answer became obvious as he scrambled backwards and almost fell over the moment the shadow manifested—it was far, far larger than anything he’d seen in his life.

“What the—!” he exclaimed as the ground shook underneath his feet, very nearly losing his balance as he steadied himself once the ground had stopped shaking.

As the… creature unfurled itself to full height, he could only gape. Maybe it was a good thing his Charizard couldn’t see this.

“Where the hell did you—get that?!” he exclaimed, blinking up at the massive size of the—was it a Pokémon, he wasn’t too sure—in front of him.

“Is this why you wanted to meet up outside Fortree for your challenge?” he continued a few moments later once his panicking brain had calmed down somewhat.

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Balder

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February 12

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TAG WITH @balder

POSTED ON Jun 16, 2021 4:50:00 GMT

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Alexei Ivanov

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"Ultra Space, that's where." Explaining the actual acquiring process of this beast would be taking too long, having to explain the chaos that was the Longest Night of Slateport. Simplifying to these few lines was the better option in the end. "And yeah, part of why I wanted us to meet here prior was so you can see the creature."[break][break]

"Since you're the gym leader and people trust you, it'll be easier if you're the one explaining why there's a man surfing on a reactor's back which belongs to an Ultra Beast." Balder proceeded to put the blindfold on the Celesteela's head, covering its eyes. He then took one of the arms of the creature and placed it on the ground.[break][break]

"Plus, the reason I decided to use Stella is because we need to show the population that we are wielding their strengths to defend the region now. To avoid a massive panic attack once they see them on the field. Having a known person surfing the sky on the back of one of Hoenn's most dangerous invaders might be a good enough proof."

[attr="class","queencred"]Nano

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Ven

Alex / Lexy

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thirty

december 22

Mistralton, Unova

homosexual demiromantic

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POSTED ON Jun 16, 2021 17:08:39 GMT

He could only…gape at the sheer size of what Balder would be bringing into the air.

“You know,” he began once he’d stopped gawking at the beast and regained most of his brain cells, “…I’m going to have to extend the arena over a wider area. That’s fucking huge,” he said as he looked at the Pokémon, giving it a once-over.

“What the hell’s it supposed to be called?” he asked once he realized he didn’t know its proper name.

Nothing on his Pokénav matched its information, either, and he’d already subtly scanned it for further study later after the match.

“Well, I’d want to say ‘get on your mount’, however this is going to be a…challenge in itself,” he said as he tapped the earpiece once, before the weather began to change around them.

“Full force. Yeah, you’re definitely seeing what I’m seeing. I’m going to need all your Pokémon’s help, too,” he said as he got on the Charizard and took off into the air. The original plan was to have a sandstorm, however due to the sheer…magnitude and size of what Balder had brought out—

He was forced to change plan.

Several Rain Dance users combined to bring together a powerful deluge over a wide area—the size of whatever he’d brought along definitely needed the adjustment.

He waited until the storm clouds were thick and had spread as far as they possibly could around the outside of the city.

“Since you brought a big one along, guess the weather would have to adapt as well! See you on the other side of the storm!”

Never mind if he was flying with disadvantage here, he knew some of the volunteer staff loved Water-types and had enough to help his own thin hoard of Water-type Pokémon to bring down a powerful, concentrated downpour that shook the area.

And then, the rumbling started. The wind began to pick up speed, too.

part 1: weather navigation! Rain Dance now in effect! (1 / 5)

Balder Schwartz

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Driclone

Balder

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February 12

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Pan?

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TAG WITH @balder

POSTED ON Jun 19, 2021 4:17:03 GMT

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Alexei Ivanov

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"It's specie is Celesteela, but you can just call it Stella." said the man as the started stretching. "Also, you can just do as usual, it's not the whole unit that will fly out. I'm using only one of the reactors." As the gym leader began to prepare for the events by calling for a change of plan, Balder the goggles upon his eyes and removed his jacket, placing it on the Celesteela's front.[break][break]

"Stella, move into the woods so that you don't scare the passersby. I doubt Alexei will be able to control the crowd that would be formed." The metal giant nodded and slowly hovered towards the woods, taking cover from the now starting rain and leaving his arm/reactor to Balder. He also proceeded to place an earbud on his ear and equip his gloves.[break][break]

"Control, this is Kaguya-01, can you read me? I'm ready for departure in these winds you made. Hope you're ready to see the Silver Surfer in action. Over." Hopefully Alexei would get the call and understand that Balder is ready to proceed. What baffled him, however, is the use of a Charizard in such a heavy storm. At least the man was flying it on the other side. Which meant.... Beyond the clouds was their target right?[break][break]

The wind was now picking up, blowing haphazardly. "Not making this easy huh... Alright then." Balder proceeded to place his feet on the stick that formed the reactor. Flames erupted from the end of it, signaling the Ignition. "Balder Schwartz, Kaguya-01, taking off!" Upon these words, the man lifted his surfing board upwards so that the flames of the reactor could propel him skywards. The man was crouching and holding onto the pillar with one hand, reducing the aerial resistance. The best way out of this storm was to brute force it, using the strong force of the reactor to pierce through as quickly as possible. But would the elements allow this?

[attr="class","queencred"]Nano

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Ven

Alex / Lexy

he / him / his

thirty

december 22

Mistralton, Unova

homosexual demiromantic

fortree gym leader

gym leader

1423 height

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TAG WITH @alexei

POSTED ON Jun 24, 2021 16:23:21 GMT

If there was one thing Ravana was used to, it was flying with disadvantage.

Even if the Pokédex entries said things about not letting a Charizard’s flame tail go out, hell, his Charizard wasn’t like most, for one.

Although the dual-type hadn’t participated as much in the official non-traditional battles he would hold at the Sanctuary’s grounds, whenever there was a general practice session for flying through torrential downpours the Charizard would always go first.

And now was going to be the acid test of all those practice sessions.

Alexei didn’t need to look around so much, seeing as the Charizard was flying blindfolded. “Careful there, Rav,” he said, patting the back of the Charizard’s neck before a sudden roar and a peal of Thunder shook the area, briefly illuminating the area.

The torrential downpour had covered a much larger area than usual, before another strong gust of Hurricane-gale winds threatened to blow him off-course.

Over where Balder was at the moment—

The winds howled violently; as several columns of air manifested in an attempt to unseat the other from their current position. The storm clouds brewing overhead grew only even darker as the downpour thickened to near-zero visibility.

How was he going to find Alexei in all this?

The answer became evident as a rumbling noise was the warning—before another loud peal of Thunder crashed down very close to where Balder was currently located.

part 1: weather navigation! Rain Dance now in effect! (2 / 5)

Balder Schwartz

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Driclone

Balder

He/Him

February 12

Alola

Pan?

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TAG WITH @balder

POSTED ON Jul 3, 2021 19:38:44 GMT

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Alexei Ivanov

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Flying a piece of metal during a thunderstorm with a man of steel upon it? Definitely not the brightest idea. Especially with a Thunder falling right near him as the Alolan was still raising upwards, trying to the air current so he gets less resistance in the flight. Still... He should've asked for another weather condition.[break][break]

Suddenly, the man's foot slipped off the reactor, making him loose his hold and start a free fall. The man sighed and whistled. In the Woods, the Celesteela's head looked upwards. The second reactor ignited abruptly before launching to rejoin Balder in his freefall. The man grabbed onto it and resumed the flight upwards while the first reactor rejoined them and followed along.[break][break]

Now that the first Reactor was being used as a way to break the Thunder off his head, the man was able to sail more peacefully, leading the two units skywards... Until they pierced the veil of clouds. Over the black clouds, the two reactors sailed side by side, Balder looking at the Horizon. He now simply had to wait for Alexei? Or was he actually supposed to rejoin him under this weather?

[attr="class","queencred"]Nano

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Ven

Alex / Lexy

he / him / his

thirty

december 22

Mistralton, Unova

homosexual demiromantic

fortree gym leader

gym leader

1423 height

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TAG WITH @alexei

POSTED ON Jul 10, 2021 1:53:36 GMT

“We got a situation.”

“What’s that?” Alexei said over the sound of the pouring rain. While the sound of the weather made things harder to discern, it took flying around a bit to get better reception, before he got an update of what was going on.

“Tsk, as the kids say ‘there’s a first time for everything’,” he said with a minute sigh. “Widen the reach of the downpour. And bring down hell. I mean you guys are already trying to kill me,” he added with a laugh.

While he awaited down in the near-center of the thunderstorm, wind howling and a peal of Thunder almost unseating him, back up where the skies were clear for Balder—

The dark clouds spread. Weather couldn’t be contained in a singular place, right?

Along with it came a howling force of Hurricane-gale winds as the water spread up higher, faster, attempting to catch the other man and bring him right back into the heart of the storm.

part 1: weather navigation! Rain Dance now in effect! (3 / 5)

Balder Schwartz

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Driclone

Balder

He/Him

February 12

Alola

Pan?

Dark Avenger

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TAG WITH @balder

POSTED ON Aug 16, 2021 20:56:28 GMT

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[attr="class","queentag"]
Alexei Ivanov

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"Seriously?"[break][break]

It seemed like reaching above the clouds wasn't the answer to this conundrum. Not long after the man had pierced the veil of fluffy cumulonimbus, more of them were summoned to try and reach him. Guess that meant he had to dive back in and play this differently. The man oriented his reactor-board skywards, before cutting-back and diving down, piercing through the clouds.[break][break]

[break][break]

The second reactor resumed its position of shield overhead, reading to intercept any lightning bolts that would come their way. As they pierced through the veil of clouds, the man noticed the wind had picked up, blowing haphazardly. Hurricane had been added to the lot huh...[break][break]

Both reactors slowed down. Flying at full speed in this weather was now more dangerous then anything. And as they were sailing through the wind, the man decided to activate his steel-like skin. Precaution for whatever else could be sent their way.

[attr="class","queencred"]Nano

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Ven

Alex / Lexy

he / him / his

thirty

december 22

Mistralton, Unova

homosexual demiromantic

fortree gym leader

gym leader

1423 height

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TAG WITH @alexei

POSTED ON Aug 18, 2021 17:26:24 GMT

Up where the weather disturbance had spread, a flash of lightning would catch the other man’s attention as the rain poured down in buckets.

The bright lights were there to briefly illuminate the way—despite the area being almost shit to navigate in.

What Balder wasn’t expecting was a surprise gale-force blast of Hurricane winds from underneath would attempt to unseat him—would he be able to hang on for dear life, the way the wind was blowing haphazardly.

Over where Alexei was…

Another bolt of lightning lit up the space, before a sideswiping blast of wind almost drove him towards the point where another bolt of lightning was about to drop.

“Guys, really?” he said over the ear piece, unamused—before hearing tinny laughter on the other end.

part 1: weather navigation! Rain Dance now in effect! (4 / 5)

Balder Schwartz

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Balder

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February 12

Alola

Pan?

Dark Avenger

Bodyguard of Dahlia

399 height

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TAG WITH @balder